Gov. Patrick says Fla. verdict sends chilling message

Monday

Jul 15, 2013 at 10:00 PMJul 15, 2013 at 10:26 PM

By John J. Monahan, TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

BOSTON — Gov. Deval L. Patrick said the not-guilty jury verdict in the case of slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin sends a chilling message that people can be killed for defending themselves against someone who believes they don't belong in a neighborhood based on their appearance.

"The message of this is that you can be pursued down the street by someone with a gun and when you try to defend yourself, that person is justified in shooting you dead," the governor said.

"It's just sad. I don't know what you say to a young black boy or mothers of young black boys," Mr. Patrick told reporters on the way to a meeting Monday with House and Senate Democratic leaders.

Mr. Patrick, who was chief of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department under President Clinton, doubted that George Zimmerman, who claimed self defense and was found not guilty of shooting the unarmed teenage, would face subsequent federal civil rights charges.

"I think the Department of Justice's options are very limited in a case like this," Mr. Patrick said..

The case has prompted demonstrations across the country. The governor stopped short of saying the jury got it wrong, but said the case demonstrates dangers faced by minorities.

"I wasn't sitting on the jury, and I know the hazards of trying to second-guess a jury. But from what I know of the facts, it's a chilling thought that you know you could be in a neighborhood, out buying a soda and a pack of Skittles and have your life taken from you by somebody who just thinks you don't look like you belong," the governor said.

Mr. Patrick said Massachusetts does not have a "stand your ground" provision in its laws like the one in Florida that initially sparked controversy in the case, but he said society at large is impacted by the case.

"To the extent that we all suffer from the suppositions we make about people based on what they look like and where they are and whether you think they belong where they are, it is a reminder that we are all going to have to think outside of those boxes. In this case, thinking inside that box was deadly," the governor said.

He made the comments on the way into a meeting with Senate President Therese Murray, D-Plymouth, and House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, D-Winthrop, over his veto of $177 million in unrestricted municipal aid and $240 million in transportation funding.

His veto of the spending came as he approved a $33.6 billion state budget for fiscal 2014 and stems from his disagreement with lawmakers over a $500 million tax hike that he said does not include enough funds in future years to adequately fund transportation programs.

Lawmakers have argued that the 3-cents-per-gallon gas tax increase, an additional $1 per pack on cigarettes and new taxes on computer system services and some utilities and automatic annual toll and fare hikes built into the budget will produce $500 million in fiscal 2014 and up to $800 million annually by 2017.

But the governor returned the bill, saying it will not produce that much revenue in the third year, and he asked lawmakers to make up for the difference by either adding provisions to guarantee tolls will remain up on the Massachusetts Turnpike west of Route 128 after 2017, when they are set to come down, or raise the gas tax another 5 cents.

"The truth is that it is not an $800 million bill without resolving the question of the tolls on the western Turnpike, so that has got to be resolved," Mr. Patrick said. "My great fear is that if we don't deal with this now and deal with it honestly, communities outside of Greater Boston will be shortchanged again. They have been shortchanged for a long time now and that has got to end."

House and Senate leaders have indicated they have enough votes to override the governor's budget vetoes and return the tax bill to him unchanged; however, the governor said he is not going to give up despite those assertions.

"What do you want me to do — lay down? No, I'm not going to do that. This is a principled difference," the governor said when asked about legislative plans to reject his call for changes to the tax bill.

"For 20 years the folks who have been in government have shortchanged our transportation needs all around the commonwealth," the governor said. "There is one more step I would like them to take. I would like the leadership and the members to be open to a conversation as to how we close this gap."

The House will take up the vetoes and amendments Wednesday and the Senate has a formal session to consider them Thursday.